Page 32 of Conner

The doors had been open for ten minutes and people were starting to come in. The music was starting, and things were starting to pick up.

“And it looks like one of those handsome players is admiring you, lass.”

Sasha followed the woman’s gaze to Conner. Her heart stopped; he was breathtaking. Can men be breathtaking? She had never considered them to be before now, but Conner McPhee standing over there in his tux was enough to damn near stop her heart.

His eyes met hers over the dance floor and he smiled at her. At that moment all the feelings she had been fighting for this devastatingly handsome man boiled over. From their rocky start to the way things had been starting to change in the last few weeks, to the way he demanded to keep her safe, she wasn’t capable of fighting her feelings anymore. Things had been different since her car broke down. He looked at her differently, and if she was being honest, she loved it. When she had woken up on his chest the other night, it should have been awkward, but it wasn’t. It felt right. Things had changed. If he asked her, she would be his. It was a new realization, but one she realized was true without a shadow of a doubt.

Conner started walking over to Sasha. She turned to tell the old woman goodbye only to find her smiling at them like the Cheshire Cat, like she knew something they didn't. But that thought was gone before it even took hold because all she could focus on was Conner.

In just a few steps he was standing next to Sasha and the woman.

“Sasha, you are breathtaking,” he said with awe in his voice. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. At that moment sparks like Sasha had never felt before in her life shot through her body.

“Thank you. You look handsome tonight as well, Conner,” she said, trying not to openly gape at him.

“I believe I met you in Mystic Falls,” he said, turning his attention to the woman standing next to them. “Bridget, am I right?”

“Correct ye are. Yere Kate's brother are you not?”

“That's right. We met at the winter festival.”

“That we did lad, why don't ye stop by my table later and let me read your cards,” she said with the same Cheshire grin.

“That sounds nice.”

“Well, I’ll let you two lovely young people chat,” Bridget said, excusing herself from the discussion to head back to her table as the ballroom started to fill.

Sasha turned to Conner who was still had a look on his face she had never seen before. He looked at her and licked his bottom lip, now that face she knew. It was the same one the suit cam had caught and right now it turned her core molten, and she was about to combust. She needed to get some air.

Someone waving at her across the dance floor caught her eye. It was Evie in a beautiful navy gown.

“If you'll excuse me, Conner. I need to go,” she said as she put her hand on his arm, sending that spark of electricity through her entire body like it had before.

“Of course, I'll find you later,” he said with a smirk. “Maybe on the dance floor.”

“Maybe,” she said as she looked up into his sparkling hazel eyes.

She made her way across the dance floor to Evie, happy for the reprieve from the full assault of Conner's sexiness. She shook her head as she came up to Evie.

“I’m so glad you could make it! You look amazing,” Sasha said, wrapping her up in a hug.

“Of course! You look pretty incredible yourself. Red is gorgeous on you,” she said. “I'm excited for the auction. The rink put up their scholarship program. Hockey is so hard for some families to pay for, so this will really help with that. Plus having a professional on the ice with those kids for some lessons is a great cause.”

“I’m sure your package will be a big hit.”

Sasha had fun as the night went on. There had been lots of fun and dancing. It was time for the auction, and it went off without a hitch. Conner had paid an exorbitant amount of money to spend the day helping the Glendale boys and girls club paint their gym and gave money to a field hockey team at the center.

She had taken some wonderful pictures and was ready for the community to see how much this organization stepped up tonight. But right now, the players were letting loose before they all buckled down Monday and started training for the cup.

“Come dance with us!” Kate McPhee pulled her hand out onto the dance floor. Kate, Evie, and Frankie were all there. They all danced like it was college again to the sound of Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance with Somebody. It was a perfect night and Sasha had forgotten all about the shadiness that had been going on and the possibility of her stalker finding her again.

19

Conner

From the moment Conner walked into the ballroom Sasha and that sexy as sin red dress had called to him like a beacon. She was all he could see. He thought tonight might be the night to make his feelings known but seeing her solidified that. Tonight was the night he was going to make Sasha Maloof his. And it was about time.

After Sasha had excused herself, he made his way over to the bar. He was going to need a drink to calm his nerves. He couldn’t remember a time he was this nervous to ask out a woman, but it felt like there was so much at stake here. They had just started getting along and he didn’t want to mess with that. They worked together and if she turned him down, he wouldn’t want her to feel awkward. And of course, there was his rule about nothing serious until hockey was over, but after talking to Kate, that was becoming less and less of a concern. There were still so many ways this could go badly, but the sight of her in that dress only solidified the single thought in his mind. Tonight was the night he told Sasha how he felt, he could deal with whatever came next after that. He hoped that whatever it was finally involved kissing the most kissable lips he had ever seen.

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